Adriana's Tips

Nail and Body Bar

January 13, 2011

The Challenge Continues

Well, hello!

I have now managed by divine miracle or total fluke to have survived three and a half days without so much as a swipe from my beloved mascara wand. I almost feel bad for her, sitting there in my medicine cabinet all day. Comletely rediculous compassion for inanimate objects aside, I have been doing well. There have been moments where I have been tempted to sneak just a little concealer under my eyes after a not particularly restful evening - but I'm still holding strong.

The main thing I've been noticing as an almost-maybe-former concealer junkie is how important my skin is. I always take really great care of my skin, but I have noticed myself giving it lots of extra treats in the past few days. And not having to remove my makeup at the end of each day helps when you are just ready to fall into that bed of yours! I gave myself a mini at-home facial on Tuesday - a steam with some lime and lavender oil did a double team on cleaning out my pores and my respiratory system. Follow that up with a nice exfoliation with our Sushi Scrub and smear on a homemade fresh face mask and hop in the bath with some deep conditioning oils in you hair - bliss! My skin has been glowing and behaving herself quite well. Here's the recipe for my luxurious face mask that I'm sure your skin would love too!

Half a banana, mashed

Half an avocado, mashed

One clove of garlic, minced

1/2 tsp vitamin c crystals(or tablets, crushed)

One tablespoon of honey or yoghurt

Mix it all together, smear it on and put your feet up!

On Monday when I first challenged myself, I forgot I had dinner plans with a friend. I wasn't planning on hibernating in private all week - that would be cheating. But I had definitely planned a light social week. I was a little self-concious going to be in the presence of others. But as soon as we started laughing and indulging in our amazing meals(everyone go eat at Lo Bistro!), it melted away. The next morning, I used the extra 10 minutes I would have used applying my makeup to have a one-woman dance party, which made me feel just as good, if not better than a few coats of mascara. After wandering around my happy place, the fourth floor of The Bay Downtown, I was waiting for the elevator with a mother and her child. The little girl gave me the biggest ego boost by pointing to me and saying to her mom, 'Pretty!'

As of now(about 2pm Thursday) I'm not sure whether or not I'll go back to my 'habit', but I do know that living without makeup is definitely a lot less complicated. Come back Monday for my final reflections on a cosmetic-free week and a picture of my make-up free face! I hope you all have wonderful and restful weekends planned and if you have a great face mask recipe for me, please feel free to let me know!